Seriously, the Brazos platform is not a replacement for a high-powered workstation, that much should be clear after looking at the numbers. Nor is it a high-end gaming platform. However, it is a great complementary system for web-surfing, email and whatever other tasks don’t require the Herculean processor power that we have gotten so used to and that idles away most of the time anyway. Moreover, if there is something that still needs to get done in an emergency situation, the Zacate has the power to do it, it certainly beats getting up in the middle of the night and walking to the “home office” to shave off a minute or two from rendering a Photoshop image or running an Excel simulation. By the time that “other system” has powered up, Zacate has already completed the task. It’s like the turtle and the hare.
So, are we all going to throw away our high-end systems and move to the Brazos platform? Hell no, I need the power and I use it when I have 20 windows open and a gazillion tasks running in the background but no matter which way you slice it, the E-350 is a nice complement to any other system and it is inexpensive enough to be a secondary / tertiary system. Not to mention the multiple industrial applications, e.g. restaurants, doctor’s offices etc. where especially the presence of legacy ports (e.g. parallel) is an absolute requirement. Bottom line is, Brazos is entering a tough market but it has all the makings to compete and be very successful, simply because of its versatility.

You do software updates to get the most from favourite programs right? Updating a motherboard BIOS can in a timely manner is also critical. The guide to Flashing a Motherboard BIOS spells out the often complicated steps in plain english. PCSTATS Tips